Chocolate: You've Come a Long Way, Baby
The history of chocolate is a rich and interesting one. Most of the world didn't know chocolate existed until Columbus went to the Americas and took the cacao bean with him back to Spain. However, it wasn't until the Conquistadors went to Mexico that the Spaniards really discovered the wonders of cacao.The Aztecs and Mayans worshipped the cacao bean and believed it was a food of the Gods. The Aztecs used it as both nourishment and currency. They believed the fruit of the cacao tree imparted wisdom and they made a special drink with it called xocolatl, of which the Aztec emperor Montezuma is said to have consumed large amounts every day.
When the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs, they were fascinated by cacao but thought the xocolatl drink was too bitter, so they added cane sugar to it and drank it hot, thus creating the first hot cocoa.The Spanish kept their new discovery a secret from the rest of Europe for about 100 years.
With the decline of Spain as a power, the secret of cacao leaked out at last, and the Spanish Crown's monopoly of the chocolate trade came to an end. In a few years the knowledge of it had spread through France, Italy, Germany, and England.(from "The History of Chocolate and Cocoa" published by The Nestle Company)In 1847 the first solid chocolate bar was created by Fry & Sons in Bristol, England. The first milk chocolate bar was created in 1875 in Switzerland by Daniel Peters. The first chocolate factory in the United States was founded in 1765 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Today, chocolate is big business and is sold in every country in the world. The little cacao bean has come a long way..
Rachel Williamson is a contributing writer for Eat This!, where she has written about the history of chocolate.The Paleolithic Diet - Should We Eat Like Our "Cave Man" Ancestors?
Copyright 2006 Tom Venuto
The "paleolithic," "stone age," "cave man," or "neanderthal" diet plans have been around for a while and there are quite a few books that have been written on the subject.
In general, with a only few minor constructive criticisms, I think they are right on point, and will benefit your health and definitely your fat loss efforts.
A "Paleo Diet" or "cave man" diet is actually very similar to the bodybuilding diets I often recommend and this is most definitely a great way get very lean, very fast.
On physique competition diets (bodybuilding, fitness, figure, etc), you leave the lean proteins, lean meats, nuts and seeds, the green veggies (fibrous carbs), and some fruit in the diet, while reducing or removing ALL processed foods and SOME of the grains and starches. (usually the dairy products go too).
When it comes to maximum fat loss, the removal or reduction of grains and calorie dense starchy carbs...
Fruit baskets > The Paleolithic Diet - Should We Eat Like Our "Cave Man" Ancestors?
Short Story: The Benefits of Shopping Online
Maria's new lifestyle: Short story about the benefits shopping on the Net has given to a dedicated artist.I've got this strange friend; her name is Maria. Maria's always been a little weird but now things have gotten unworldly altogether. You see, Maria's an artist; she's into sculpture in particular, of which she specializes in the manipulation of Perspex with a blowtorch. Lately I haven't seen too much of her as she's hooked up the Internet. Actually not many people at all have seen her recently; she says she's working on a big project.Now that she's got the Internet she reckons she can focus a lot more on her work without distractions.
She doesn't ?waste' time doing grocery shopping anymore. Now she orders all her food and household items. She says if she's extremely busy, her weekly list is saved into the computer, and she just clicks on ?order' and the usual stuff is delivered to her door every week. No more driving, parking, searching for stuff, standing in line, dealing...
Short Story: The Benefits of Shopping Online
Fruit baskets > Short Story: The Benefits of Shopping Online
Fall for Outdoor Entertaining This Autumn
Aaaah, autumn! It's the perfect time to entertain outdoors -- most of the bugs are gone, the sun isn't scorching even though it's warm enough to enjoy an afternoon or evening al fresco, and there's a bounty of good things to serve for an outdoor meal. Because the days are shorter in the autumn, outdoor entertaining in the fall calls for special attention to lighting and temperature. LightingThe earlier sunset will afford you an ideal opportunity to bathe your outdoor space in evening lights. Use soft light, but use plenty of it. Try dozens of votive candles in jars and glasses to protect the flame from the wind, hurricane lamps, or kerosene lanterns set on low.
Create cozy seating areas and equip each with a glowing light source. HeatingThe method you'll use to chase the chill from the night will vary depending on your climate and your outdoor space. If you have a yard (and community by-laws allow), a campfire is a wonderful informal party setting. In smaller gardens, consider...
Fall for Outdoor Entertaining This Autumn
Fruit baskets > Fall for Outdoor Entertaining This Autumn
Rules of the Game
We're talkin' about the game of being an expert at what you do. These rules are unforgiving. Break them and a remorseless force simply sweeps you off the board, clicks you off the screen?and you're not even history. You're nuthin', baby.Abide by these rules and you smile all the way to the bank. I started out not even knowing there were rules.
Within 4 years I'd lost my little all. $235,000 eaten up, gone beyond recovery. Money talks, right? Well, mine went without saying!I learned these rules the hard way. You can too. You can learn the hard way.
Do you really choose to do that? Nobody cares. Nobody will care. It's your life. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I prefer the easy way. I'd rather learn from other people's goof-ups.
So, let's get started.Rule 1: Have something of value to offer your company or your market . Something you're passionate about. Something that comes from the marrow of your bones. From your core. From your gut.
From your...
Rules of the Game
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